re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by Paluka on 12/12/12 at 1:59 pm to League Champs

What difference does it make?

Do we know what the external influences are from person to person? Nope!

Some sociobiologists have stated that having gay relatives actually is a good thing evolutionarily because they help take care of the offspring of their relatives ensuring survival of the genetic material.

Bottom line is that this study does not show much more than any other study. Therefore, it makes no difference at all at this point.

re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by cwill on 12/12/12 at 2:09 pm to Patrick_Bateman

quote:To anyone with an understanding of science and genetics, this seems obvious. If homosexuality were genetic in nature, it would no longer be in existence, on account of the genes not being passed on from one generation to the next. It is a choice, always has been.

This is exactly what I was talking about...an idiot reading the the OP title, not the article and jumping to the conclusion that it's a choice...read the article, it's not a choice.

re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by cwill on 12/12/12 at 2:17 pm to League Champs

quote:and gay would eventually evolve itself out if it was passed due only to genetics.

This is a bogus assumption in my view...there is nothing about being gay that prevents reproduction...gays appear to want to experience parenthood as much as straight people and have taken steps throughout history to procreate...I think the driving force to procreate can and has overridden sexual preference throughout history.

re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by OleWar on 12/12/12 at 2:24 pm to League Champs

quote:This study means being gay is a choice. The epigenetic trait is passed on, but external modification can effect your behavior

Assuming the theory of the article is correct

External modifications need not be post-utero, and in fact could and probably would occur in-utero.

But it would be fun to guess what things parents should avoid doing or be exposed to in order to prevent homosexuality in their children and the wider societal implications. Some posibilites off the top of my head-- exposure to high level of carbon emissions, large families, use of deodorant....

quote:Epigenetics – how gene expression is regulated by temporary switches, called epi-marks – appears to be a critical and overlooked factor contributing to the long-standing puzzle of why homosexuality occurs.

quote:Previous studies have shown that homosexuality runs in families, leading most researchers to presume a genetic underpinning of sexual preference. However, no major gene for homosexuality has been found despite numerous studies searching for a genetic connection.

It appears that acting upon the "temporary" marker can result in being gay, but it doesnt answer why there are so many identical twins that have differing sex preferences.

It alludes to external modifcations that create the temporary markers. CHOICES made by parents which do not get erased (as is the norm), and then passed on to children who may, or may not act upon them (see identical twins example)

re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by Broketec on 12/12/12 at 2:31 pm to League Champs

Does the idea of gay people choosing to be gay offend you? Or just gay people in general...

Why does what a gay person does, and the reasons why they do it, drive you to such lengths to want to prove everyone on a message board that you are right about your interperitation of the latest homosexual medical findings?

re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by Broketec on 12/12/12 at 2:37 pm to League Champs

Way to dodge the question.

Its a serious question. Why does it even matter to you in the first place why gay people do what they do? It has no bearing on your life at all. Unless youre gay. And even if you were gay, why you were gay probably wouldn't matter to you if you were happy.

re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by Powerman on 12/12/12 at 2:41 pm to cwill

quote:Did you read the article? It's not saying that gays aren't born that way, it's that the gayness isn't occurring on the DNA level but on the expression of the gene - it's a heritable trait - not a social condition. Changes nothing, does not validate the gay-away work of Michelle Bachman's gay husband.

re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by League Champs on 12/12/12 at 2:46 pm to Powerman

quote:So presumably you often have urges to sleep with people of the same gender but you just don't do it?

I am assuming that the study alludes to external factors that the parents passed on, then possibly reinforced in their child.

Say, enrolling the son in ballet class or the daughter in powerlifting. Sure they were born with the temporary marker, but external factors now seem to be more of a major contributor than the actual DNA. But like they said, its a theory. A lot of work yet to be done

re: So it turns out being gay is not in the DNAPosted by mmcgrath on 12/12/12 at 2:46 pm to League Champs

quote:Can the honey bee's offspring traits be controlled by feeding?

Can a larvae develop into a different kind of bee depending on what they eat when the are larvae? Yes. Can they switch at any time after the larval stage, no. Is it even that simple for all other traits affected by epigenetics? No.